Island



(No Model.)

J. E. WALCOTT. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COVERING ELECTRIC WIRES.

No. 450,839. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

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UNrTEn STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JABEZ E. \VALCOTT, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COVERING ELECTRIC WIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,839, dated April21, 1891.

Application filed $eptemher 30, 1884. Serial No. 144,344. (No model.)

./.0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J ABEZ E. WaLooTr, of the city and county ofProvidence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improved Methodof andApparatust'orCovering-Electric ires, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the protecting covers or sheaths of insulated ornon-insulated electric conductors; and the object of my invention is toproduce by means of a rapid and continuous method an improved form ofcovering orsheath which shall perfectly incase the wire or wires andwhich shall be capable of enduring without detriment all of the strains,including handling, coiling, and suspension, to which this class ofstructures is subjected.

To this purpose my invention consists in the peculiar and novel methodof covering the wire or wires, and also in the peculiar and novelapparatus for carrying said method into effect, as hereinafter describedand claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed todescribe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is aside elevation of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the forming die-plate used in covering a single wire. Fig.2 is a similar view of the die-plate used in covering three wires. Fig.3 is a detached view of the rolls for inclosing the wire in the sheathand for forming the unitinglips. Fig. 4 is a similar view of thefinishing-rolls. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the finishing die-plateused in covering the wire or wires. Fig. 6 is a detached sectional viewof the wire as it emerges from the rolls shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is asimilar view of the three wires as they emerge from said rolls.

Before entering into a detailed description of my new method andapparatus for carrying said method into effect Iwould state that mymethod is based upon a certam property of lead or of the composition oflead and tin, or of any other soft metal which is capable of being laidaround one or more wires to form a sheet-armor, my improved sheath orcovering being formed of either of such metals or compositions. Theproperty referred to is that of uniting homogeneously upon the simpleapplication of heat, such unison being not only homogeneous, but strong,durable, and not readily apparent after the substance has been sotreated. Thus, if two contiguous surfaces of lead or other soft metal besubjected to the action of a fusing heat, such surfaces will unite soperfectly that the mass will possess a perfectly-homogeneons character,and such united surfaces will not only resist all wear as a singlesurface, but all traces of their previous divided character will becompletely obliterated. Great difficulty has been experienced inadapting lead or similar metal to such use.

Heretofore metal has been applied to the wire or wires in the form of astrip or ribbon, the meeting edges of which have been laid eitherspirally around or parallel to the axis of the wire, and in either casesuch edges have been united by solder. Practical observation andexperience prove that the sheath thus formed is seriously deficient bothin lasting properties and in resisting the strains incident to handlingand coiling and uncoiling. This serious defect is due to the fact thatthe soldered union of the contiguous edges of the strip destroys thehomogeneous character of the covering, and consequently the sheath isextremely liable to become ruptured or perforated at the points of suchunion.

Now my improved method consists, essentially, in forming this union ofthe same substance as that of which the sheath is formed, whereby Isecure perfect homogeneousness in the sheath. To this purpose I form. araised lip upon each contiguous margin of the strip and then burn orfuse these lips together, the result being that the sheath hasapparently and in reality all of the appearances and properties of anintegral envelope. There are certain subordinate steps in perfecting mymethod, to wit: a preliminary bending and rolling of the strip, the useof tallow previous to the burning, or fusion of the joint and thefinishing of the joint. The result of my improved method is that thesheath is as finished in appearance and as capable of resisting ruptureor perforation and strain as a solid cylindrical mass or bar.

I will now proceed to describe the appara tus whereby my improved methodis carried into effect.

The operative parts, hereinafter described, are mounted upon a table orframe A, which may be of any suitable or preferred form, capable ofproperly supporting said parts. Above this table and at one end thereofis placed a drum or reel B, upon which the wire or wires 17 are wound,such wire being either covered with a suitable non-conducting coating,or naked, as desired. Below this table and at the same end upon whichthe drum B is mounted is placed the reel or drum 0, upon which the stripof lead or other soft metal 0 is wound. The wire or wires and the metalstrip pass from the drums B O to a drum L, which is located at theopposite end of' the frame. The covered wire in finished condition iswound upon the drum L, which is revolved by suitable gearing-as, forinstance, the beveled gear Z, mounted on the shaft Z, which carries thedrum, and the beveled pinion Z mounted on the shaft Z which is driven bya pulley 1*, by means of which motion is imparted to the gearing througha driving-belt from a suitable motor. The drum L exerts the requisitetension upon the wire and metal strip and feeds them properly throughthe machine. As the wire or wires and metal strip pass through themachine,.the strip is acted upon successively by the forming dieplate D,the forming-rolls E, the reservoir F, the blow-pipe G, and chamber H,the coveringrolls I, and the finishing die-plate J, after which thecovered wire is guided by the guiding-pulleys K to the winding-drum L.

I will now particularly describe each of the devices which areinterposed between the drums B G and the drum L, arranging suchdescription in the order in which said devices act. The wire I) from theupper drum B passes under the pulley 0, while the metal strip 0 from thedrum 0 passes over the pulley c, and from thence the wire and strippass, the former above the latter, in parallel lines to the formingdie-plate D. The dieplate D is placed upright upon the frame A andcontains an aperture through which the wire and strip pass, during whichpassage the strip is folded partially around the wire. As shown in Fig.2, this aperture is U-shaped,

and a die-plate with this form of aperture is used when the sheath isapplied to a single wire. In this instance the strip 0 is bent up into Uform, so-as to partially inclose the wire I), as is clearly shown inFig. 2.

In Fig. 2 the die-plate aperture is of a peculiar form, by means ofwhich three wires are partially covered, and it is to be understood thatmy invention contemplates the covering of one or any desired number ofwires, the form of the apertures in the dic -plate be ing such in anygiven instance as to properly prepare the covering for the action of thenext successive device.

The wire or wires and the strip pass from the forming die-plate D to theforming-rolls E. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 3.) These rolls are peripherallygrooved and are mounted horizontally upon the frame A in any suitablemanner-as, for instance, upon the axles e e, as shown in Fig. 3. Thelower flanges of the rolls E come into contact, while their upperflanges, being of less diameter, are separated sufficiently to permitthe margins of the strip 0 to pass between them. The thickness of therolls E being less than half of the width of the strip 0 when bent bythe dieplate D produces the upturned, continuous, and parallel lips c 0upon the upper side of the strip, and the grooves of the rolls E serveto bend the strip almost completely around the wire, there being but aslight degree of separation between the lips c 0 as is shown in Fig. 3.It will be readily perceived that a similar result will be produced bythe rolls E when three wires (or more than one wire) are being operatedupon, as is shown in Fig. 7. The wire or wires and the strip now passfrom the rolls E beneath a reservoir F, which may be provided with acook or valve to regulate the discharge of the contents. This reservoircontains tallow which is caused to flow down upon the two lips c c asthe strip and wire or wires are fed along the machine. From thereservoir F the wire or wires and strip pass to the blow-pipe G andburning-chamber H, where the two lips 0 c are burned or melted down. Thepipe G is shown as a hydrogen blow-pipe, and is placed in invertedposition above the chamber H, into which the flame from said pipe isblown. The chamber H is made of fire-brick or any other substance whichis adapted to withstand the action of intense heat. The precise form ofthis chamber may be of any such character as will permit of the freepassage of the wire or wires and the strip, and concentrate the heatfrom the flame within itself and upon the lips of the strip. It is alsoimportant to observe that any suitable device other than the blow-pipemay be used to produce the requisite heat for application to thelips 0 0After being acted upon by the blow-pipe flame or other heating agent thewire or wires and the strip pass from the chamber 11 to thecovering-rolls I 1. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 4.) These rolls are mountedvertically one above the other upon the frame and have horizontal axlesz' '5, through the medium of which said rolls are driven. Theperipheries of these rolls are grooved and the flanges at the margins ofsaid grooves are maintained always in contact, so that as the wire orwires and the strip enter between the rolls the lips 0 0 which are in asoft condition, are rolled down flush with the external surface of thestrip, and the latter is thus converted from a bent strip to a completesheath or coverin These rolls not only roll down the lips 0 0 but causesaid lips to 450,839 r r a perfectly unite, so that almost all traces ofthe lips are obliterated and the character of the sheath is as perfectlyhomogeneous as though said sheath were an integral tube. The tallowwhich was previously applied to the lips serves to insure this perfectunion. After the operation of the rolls I I it only remains to finishthe sheath. For this purpose the wire or wires and the sheath passthrough the finishing die-plate J. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 5.) Thisdie-plate has a circular aperture, in passing through which theoutersurface of the sheath is properly finished and all traces of thejoint thereof are perfectly obliterated. Fig. 5 shows the die-plate forfinishing single-wire cables, and the only difference between this andthe plate for finishing double or treble wire cables is in the increasedsize of the aperture. rom the plate J the cable passes between theguiding-sh eaves K and thence to the drum L.

I have not shown any devices for driving the rolls E I, nor forconducting the fuel to the pipe G, as such devices may be readilyarranged by any one skilled in such matters. Thus it will be seen thatthe method and apparatus are simple and produce rapidly and bycontinuous steps a sheath or covering which is entirely free from theserious defects heretofore found in such coverings.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1. An improved method of covering wire bending asoft-metal strip partially around the wire or wires and forming raisededges or lips thereon, then burning or fusing said lips, and finallyrolling down said fused lips, as set forth.

3. An improved apparatus for forming softmetal covers or sheaths forwires, consisting of a forming die-plate for bending the strip partiallyaround the wire or Wires, a pair of rolls for forming raised edges orlips upon said strip, a heater for burning down said edges, and a pairof rolls for depressing said burned edges, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a suitable frame carrying the drums B, O, andL, of the form ing die-plate D, the forming-rolls E, the reservoir F,the pipe G and chamber H, the covering-rolls I, the finishing die-plateJ, and the guiding-sheaves K, all constructed and arranged to operatesubstantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JABEZ E. IVALCOTT.

lVitnesses:

JOSEPH A. MILLER, J12, M. F. BLIGH.

